A road safety charity is calling for changes to drink-drive laws after a snapshot survey revealed West Yorkshire had the highest number of motorists failing tests.

Newly-released Government figures show that West Yorkshire Police caught the highest number of drink-drivers per 100,000 head of population anywhere in the country in 2006.

And a Yorkshire-based road safety charity says the problem is not confined to “eight pint men” with a rise in the number of women being convicted for driving while over the limit.

As many as 42 per cent of female motorists get behind the wheel after drinking, the national survey by Brake and breakdown company Green Flag has shown.

The figure for men was 59 per cent, with 25 per cent of men and 11 per cent of women reckoning they had driven after a maximum of two small glasses of wine or the equivalent.

The poll of 2,066 adults also showed that eight per cent of men and two per cent of women had driven after a maximum of three glasses of wine or the equivalent, while nine per cent of men and one per cent of women had got behind the wheel after consuming four or more glasses of wine or the equivalent.

A Brake spokesman said: “Drink-drivers can no longer be stereotyped as ‘eight-pint men’, and it is feared part of the problem rests with a high drink-drive limit and confusion over what is ‘safe to drink’.

“While women are less likely to run the risk of breaking the drink-drive limit, there are a rising number of female drivers being convicted of drink-driving.”

Brake said it was urging the Government to lower the present 80mg legal drink limit to 50mg.

Brake’s campaigns head Cathy Keeler added: “People think it won’t happen to them, that they won’t get caught, they won’t be involved in a crash. We must challenge these presumptions in order to change drivers’ attitudes and behaviour.

“The thought of getting caught, and the consequences, need to seem a very real prospect for drivers who through selfishness or ignorance continue to put lives at risk by getting behind the wheel after drinking. For drivers who do want to abide by the law, we must make it easy for them to do so by sending out a very clear message – that even one drink is one too many.”

Green Flag spokesman Dan Robinson said: “We would encourage all drivers to think about the consequences of driving after having a drink. Even one drink can impair judgment and affect our ability to drive.”